Today Our Daily Bread Acts 1

Acts 1: 1 - 26
1 Dear Theophilus (Lover of God): In my first book F1 I told you about everything Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he ascended to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions from the Holy Spirit. 3 During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time and proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. On these occasions he talked to them about the Kingdom of God. 4 In one of these meetings as he was eating a meal with them, he told them, "Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what he promised. Remember, I have told you about this before. 5 John baptized with F2 water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
6 When the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, "Lord, are you going to free Israel now and restore our kingdom?" 7 "The Father sets those dates," he replied, "and they are not for you to know. 8 But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere – in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." 9 It was not long after he said this that he was taken up into the sky while they were watching, and he disappeared into a cloud. 10 As they were straining their eyes to see him, two white-robed men suddenly stood there among them. 11 They said, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky? Jesus has been taken away from you into heaven. And someday, just as you saw him go, he will return!"
12 The apostles were at the Mount of Olives when this happened, so they walked the half mile F3 back to Jerusalem. 13 Then they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying. Here is the list of those who were present: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (the Zealot), and Judas (son of James). 14 They all met together continually for prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.
15 During this time, on a day when about 120 believers F4 were present, Peter stood up and addressed them as follows: 16 "Brothers, it was necessary for the Scriptures to be fulfilled concerning Judas, who guided the Temple police to arrest Jesus. This was predicted long ago by the Holy Spirit, speaking through King David. 17 Judas was one of us, chosen to share in the ministry with us." 18 (Judas bought a field with the money he received for his treachery, and falling there, he burst open, spilling out his intestines. 19 The news of his death spread rapidly among all the people of Jerusalem, and they gave the place the Aramaic name Akeldama, which means "Field of Blood.") 20 Peter continued, "This was predicted in the book of Psalms, where it says, 'Let his home become desolate, with no one living in it.' And again, 'Let his position be given to someone else.' F5 21 "So now we must choose another man to take Judas's place. It must be someone who has been with us all the time that we were with the Lord Jesus – 22 from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken from us into heaven. Whoever is chosen will join us as a witness of Jesus' resurrection." 23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they all prayed for the right man to be chosen. "O Lord," they said, "you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen 25 as an apostle to replace Judas the traitor in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs." 26 Then they cast lots, and in this way Matthias was chosen and became an apostle with the other eleven.
FOOTNOTES:F1: The reference is to the book of Luke. F2: Or in; also in 1:5b. F3: Greek a Sabbath day's journey. F4: Greek brothers. F5: Pss 69:25; 109:8.
The New Living Translation

~Lena’s Comments~
It was quite important for Jesus to prove He was alive. He did this with not only one, or two or even three witnesses. He proved Himself alive for 40 days, 40 DAYS! He needed to leave them not only with the picture he’d painted of His life on earth, as an earthly being, but of the resurrected life he now lived as a Son of God. He needed to leave the world with witnesses of this resurrection, and with those who would know firsthand the power of His resurrection through the power He was about to impart to them in the Holy Ghost alive inside of them.
Cindy just loaned me a small book, "Prisoner in the Third Cell", which I have still not finished, but am working on. There is a description of baptism in there that is richer than I’ve thought of before and paints a great picture. He said those who were "put down" into the Jordan River in the symbolic act of Baptism at the time when John the Baptist was baptizing, knew something that many of do not ever think about where baptism is concerned. We usually think of being fully saturated and overwhelmed by water, being washed and cleansed, being fully surrounded by God’s grace and His spirit’s influence on our new lives in Christ. Those ideas and explanations are great and right, but the people of this time saw a much deeper meaning we in present day America don’t usually see, the idea of drowning. Drowning in water to the point of death. That I count myself and my old life as being swept away in that water, as though I had drowned. The funny thing about it is, that if I’d drowned in that water naturally, it probably would have occurred by an accident against my will. While in baptism, I am purposely saying that I want my old life (where my sinful nature ruled my every thought and action outside of Christ) to pass away. Then as no one could ever do in a natural death, I get myself out of that water and I live a resurrected life unto God in accordance with His will and plan. He is the new ruler and master, and I decided that and showed it as my decision in my decision to go under that symbolic water! I "drowned"- on purpose and now I live. Didn’t Jesus die on purpose and now lives? So it is with the life of God’s Holy Spirit in me. I receive Him on purpose, knowing that I am going to give Him rule and reign inside of me. My mind, my will, my emotional state, my daily schedules, my efforts, etc. In receiving the Holy Spirit of God, I chose to live with the power of Christ as a part of my whole life. This IS HOW I AM His witness. I’m not trying to witness for Christ. I am His witness! Because the Holy Spirit has been given permission by me to live in and through me. How is God’s kingdom restored? When is it restored? When I give my life over to God, when WE give our lives over to God, when the world gives its life over to God. I don’t know about you, but I desire God’s kingdom to come and to be established. So I desire my life to be a witness of that kingdom, so it will be passed on to others whom he desires to reproduce Him in the earth, and so His kingdom becomes established as it is added to more and more. Lord, Am I going to free Israel? Am I going to restore Your kingdom? YES! We are the tools that will accomplish this task. He did what needed to be done. Our wills in line with His will change our world. It is our choice, just as it was Judas’ and Matthais’ and Joseph Justus Barsabbas’. Even if we are not appointed to a certain position in the church or in life, we can still bring His kingdom to earth, if we so choose.